16. The Two Sides of aCoin
sixteen
The Two Sides of aCoin
*AZADEH*
I t’s the moment between sleeping and waking that I see them again. This time I don’t waste any time in asking and wondering and questioning, what I see. I just force my mind to approach them. The woman is sleeping, but the man keeps looking at me.
His pale face and tired eyes light up faintly.
The Princess of the Sun.
Hello Favian , I say.
You remember my name , he says, surprised.
You told me, so of course I remember . I look him up and down carefully before gazing towards the woman sleeping next to him. Who is she?
Favia , he says.
I blink, almost expecting him to be joking, but nothing indicates that he is making fun of me. Are you twins?
It’s not that simple , he says. We are two sides of a coin. We look like twins, but weren’t born by the same mother, and yet our fate is intertwined.
Who are you? I demand. And what do you need from me?
I don’t know anymore… he says quietly. I don’t know how you can help us. We haven’t left this room in so long.
I frown at his words. If they are locked away somewhere, they at least have to eat or go about their daily bodily functions. This is just not adding up. You are real, aren’t you?
I’m certain we are real , he says quietly. I’m just not sure if this is our true form, or a place in between where we can meet you.
My heart skips a beat. Give me something, anything.
Fire , he says tiredly. Fire and snow. And sometimes I can see a woman in white.
Wait a moment! A woman in white!?
I’m tired , Favian murmurs. I need to sleep.
Wait , I call out. Why me?
We are connected . He proclaims. The Princess of the Sun, the two sides of a coin, and the triplets without a fate. It’s the prophecy.
My body freezes at his words. Before I can ask more, though, he and Favia disappear into thin air and I jolt awake fully. The same throbbing headache as the last time accompanies me, and I allow myself a minute to recover my strength. There is a knock at my door. “It’s me,” Simin says. “I’m here to wake you up.”
“Come in,” I say while getting out of my bed.
Simin enters, smiling brightly at me. “Of course, you are already awake. Did you sleep well?”
“I was up too long,” I admit, feeling my cheeks warm a little. “I couldn’t sleep and then happened to stumble into Endellion.”
Simin smirks. “Oh, is that so?”
“Nothing happened,” I inform her, and to my surprise, her face falls.
“But you find him attractive, don’t you?”
“I… yes, of course, he is attractive.” I swallow thickly, as my cheeks warm up even further, my mind wandering to those enchanting silver eyes and his earnest yet beautiful face, the way his hand feels warm when he touches me. It’s not his undeniable beauty that gets me though, but the respect and kindness he shows to his siblings, even when they mess up, and with how much dignity he carries himself; how he just seems to understand. The way he talked to Kilah really struck something in me. I feel unusually insecure about my feelings, though. “I don’t know him well, yet.”
“And?” Simin shrugs. “Does it matter?”
I stare at her while she shoves me to the bathroom. Does it? Matter?
Endellion told me that there is no mate bond for him, but I’m sure he has his eyes set on a beautiful she-wolf already. I feel my anxiety growing again. Fortunately for me, there is no time to ponder too much, as I need to hurry to get ready. and have breakfast, and then meet the king.
Breakfast this time is just Simin, Nevyn, Royan and I. The triplets had to go and investigate the werebear attack that happened when we arrived. Eibhlin had to go to school while Alana and Kilah are preparing the masquerade. I’m not sure if the both of them reconciled, but it’s good to know that they are working together.
“Where is General Shayan?” Simin whispers.
“I don’t know.” I smile into my cup of tea. “I think it was a long night for him, too.”
“Next time you party, you need to invite me too,” Nevyn pouts. He has a particularly beautiful face with soft, almost feminine. features and silky black hair that he carries rather long.
“Does it help to know that I wasn’t invited, either?” Simin says with a grin.
“It wasn’t planned,” I insist. “I just couldn’t sleep, and Endellion, Caelan and Flinn were so kind to show me around while Alana was meeting with her friends. We just met coincidentally.”
“Really?” Nevyn asks hopefully.
“None of them would have excluded you,” I assure him. “And I wouldn’t have either.”
His eyes light up a bit, and he smiles. We all finish our breakfast quickly, as everyone has work to attend. Simin has always taken a liking to fashion and hair styling, so Alana set her up with the royal stylist, to take her under her wings and teach her whatever she wants to learn. She isn’t sure yet what she wants to do with her future, so she is trying several paths.
Nevyn hurries to his training, and Royan accompanies me as my own personal shadow, as he calls it.
King Gillean and Beta Quinn already await us in the king’s office. “Azadeh!” The king beams joyfully. “Come in.” He accidentally bumps into Quinn while he approaches me to lend me his arm. His beta just grumbles his annoyance and saves him from tripping. Gillean completely ignores him, though. “You are settling in well, I’ve heard.”
“I really like it here,” I admit. “It’s… a warm place.”
“Although, it’s cold,” he says.
“It’s the people that make it warm,” I explain.
Gillean’s eyes light up in joy. “I can’t deny that your words make me happy.” He gestures towards his desk, and I take my seat. “I assume you have lots of questions.”
“That’s true.” I feel like he is the type of person who doesn’t like people beating around the bush. My father is the exact opposite. Everyone always walks on eggshells around him because he tends to lash out when he is in a bad mood. “I think I also have something to tell you, though.”
“Oh?” Gillean raises his brows.
“Yes,” I say calmly. “About the woman in white.” I keep my eyes on his face, noticing how it twitches slightly. Soon he smiles, though, but I have seen enough to have proof.
“It’s just a legend.”
“Everyone keeps telling me that,” I say bluntly. Despite me growing up secluded, I still learned to carry myself with pride. I do not like to be kept in the dark, and it’s about time I own up to my rank and title. “But I know what I saw. I don’t imagine things. Also, I dream.”
Gillean looks at me, surprised, while it’s Quinn’s turn now to raise his brows. A smirk curls his lips, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Why do you think I’d be lying to you?” Gillean asks. His juvenile attitude is replaced by an earnest one now, and he looks at me with an insistent glance.
“To protect me,” I point out. “But I don’t need protection, not this kind of protection. Knowledge is power. I’m not scared of the truth or the unknown, and I know you are well aware that I was born with a gift.”
Gillean leans back. “The woman in white is a myth,” he says. “For the people. However, scholars know that she is a lesser deity.”
“Scholars, like your wife, the Luna Sine,” I conclude. “So, the sightings the others hinted at, the mysterious attacks, and also the blizzard that surrounded me, they are all interwoven.”
Now Gillean looks at me, shocked. “Azadeh, your power. What does it do? Is your knowledge part of it?”
“No,” I shake my head. “The one thing my father did for me was to provide me with lots of books and to have the best teachers teach me. That’s where my knowledge comes from. I’ve done nothing else but learn and study.”
“I’ve heard you are very well educated,” he states. “I just wasn’t aware of how well, though.”
“Knowledge is power,” I repeat. “Especially for me, as I was born with the gift.” I pause. “No one knows what the gift truly does, not even I. I do know I can protect someone if I want to, but other than that, it’s still a mystery.”
Gillean looks at me for a long while. “I don’t know anything about your gift either or, at least, not much. But my Luna told me that it’s peculiar. Azadeh, we didn’t keep things from you to insult you. We just wanted you to feel at home here first, before scaring you with our own terrifying history.”
“I don’t hold it against you,” I assure him. “It’s just… up to now, I was the one everyone was terrified of,” I say. It’s so hard for me to explain how I feel, and why it doesn’t terrify me to have more knowledge, even when it’s scary. “People looked the other way when they saw me because they thought my mere presence was cursing them. I don’t fear the werewolves or other creatures here; I don’t fear the truth… I fear turning into the person everyone is terrified of.”
Gillean’s stance softens, and his expression loses its stubbornness. “Werewolves are used to mysterious gifts and creatures,” he says. “They are used to working with witches. Your gift is making them curious, not terrified. There is the rumor going around that you protected a bunch of children once, with your powers. This nurturing side of you speaks a lot to wolves. But also, werewolves are drawn to strength and power, and they are loyal, which is why alpha bloodlines are strong.”
I nod, his words make sense to me. “What does it mean… the triplets without a fate?”
Gillean stares at me, his mouth opening slightly as if he is trying to grasp what I just asked. Next to me, I can see that Royan looks confused, but Quinn carries the same expression Gillean does.
“Where have you heard that?” Gillean whispers.
“I dreamed of it,” I admit.
Gillean looks up at Royan, his eyes darkening as he looks at him. “Nothing we talk about here will leave this room,” he says, his voice surprisingly harsh and demanding.
Royan’s body tenses, a shiver going through it, before he bares his neck at his king. “Yes, Alpha.”
“My triplet sons… their birth alone was a miracle. Some say it shouldn’t have happened, that it’s a curse, but I see it as a miracle: Three sons born to the same mother at the same time. However, from when they were little, it was clear that there was no mate bond they could feel. It’s not easy to explain, but it’s a void inside them, something that should be there, but isn’t. On the other hand, their powers differ from other werewolves. Their connection runs deeper. They can mind link each other over long distances, and all three at the same time, even as kids. They always know where one of them is and how they feel. They physically can’t fight each other. Growing up, I expected them to have some rivalry, but their understanding runs so deep, it hurts them if they argue.” He pauses. “However, they have no fate that is predestined for them.”
“And that’s bad?” I ask carefully.
“No, it’s just different. They have no mates out there. None of them is stronger than the other, meaning none of them is clearly my heir. They have choices, almost as if they were human. Fate means a lot to us wolves, though, especially fated mates, which is why they struggle with this knowledge.” He looks at me expectantly. “Now, it’s your turn.”
“Ever since I stepped into these lands, I started to dream… of a man and a woman,” I say. “They look very similar, but they aren’t siblings or twins. The man’s name is Favian, and the woman’s, Favia. It’s… like they are imprisoned somewhere. The moments we can talk are always very short. I’m not sure if I’m talking to their spirits or if they are real. They are always in the same room. They don’t look well,” I recount. “Almost like they are fading.”
Gillean frowns. “What do they look like?”
“They have silver, almost white hair. The man is tall and strong but looks like he has lost weight. I haven’t seen much of the woman yet, as she is sleeping most of the time. The thing is…” I furrow my brows. “Last night when I talked to them, he was talking about fire and snow, and about the woman in white. He seemed to be scared of her. Then, he told me that our lives are connected: the princess of the sun, the two sides of a coin, and the triplets without a fate.” I pause. “That’s all I know.”
Gillean stares at me, his eyes wide in shock. “Two sides of a coin?”
“Yes, does this mean something?”
He frowns. “I’m not sure, Azadeh, but there is something no one knows, aside from my mate, Sine, Quinn, the palace witch and I. And now, I will fill you and Royan in. I alpha-commanded Royan to not utter a word to anyone, but as for you, I can only trust you to keep this to yourself.”
I tilt my head. “My promise goes as far as it protects everyone. But I refuse to lie to Endellion, Caelan, and Flinn.”
“I see,” he smiles. “You have already built a connection to them.”
“Something draws me to them,” I admit. “It’s hard to explain.” I frown when I see something flash through his eyes. “There is more you aren’t telling me.”
“There is,” he admits. “But this, I truly can’t reveal to you. It would mean intervening in the very peculiar and tender threads of fate. Very well,” he gets up. “Your promise is good enough for me. I will wait for my sons to return, and then we will visit the witch.“
“Will you tell me about the prophecy?” I ask.
Gillean looks at me in surprise. “I should stop being surprised by your words,” he sighs before straightening his back. “Yes, I will.”